1950

The British Wool Marketing Board

British Wool (officially the British Wool Marketing Board) is established to support UK sheep farmers, ensuring fair prices and promoting the industry globally.

1957

Mr Godfrey Bowen

Arrangements were made with the New Zealand Wool Board for a visit to the United Kingdom by its chief shearing instructor, Mr Godfrey Bowen. With his brother Ivan, he developed the Bowen Technique, which involved the shearer using his spare hand to stretch the sheep’s skin, which improved the quality of the shorn fleece- this is the technique known and still used today.

1970

Shepherd’s Crook Mark

British Wool trademarked and launched the Shepherds Crook Mark. A logo to reassure consumers the provenance of wool within a product

1977

Heading North

British Wool moved its Head Office North to the heart of wool textiles manufacturing and trade: West Yorkshire. Moving into Oak Mills, Clayton, in Bradford.

1979

IWTO

British Wool became a full member of IWTO (The International Wool Textiles Organisation) which exists to promote close co-operation between producers and users of wool throughout the world.

1984

Opened our Japanese Office

Global expansion with the opening of an office in Japan, promoting British wool in new markets.

1999

Certified Shearing Qualification

Due to a shortage of sheep shearers, British Wool committed to preserve shearing as a traditional, rural skill and became accredited by the NPTC as the shearing assessment centre in the UK, delivery internationally recognised qualifications.

2001

Foot & Mouth Impact

The epidemic of Foot & Mouth hit farms across the UK, which resulted in a 20% deduction in the annual wool clip.

2002

Electronic Wool Auction

British Wool held the first computerised auction system, replacing the open cry.

2004

Wool Testing Authority (Europe) Ltd.

British Wool and the New Zealand Wool Testing Authority opened the IWTO accredited wool-testing laboratory, offering excellent facilities and certifications for greasy and scoured wool to customers in the Northern Hemisphere.

2010

The Campaign For Wool

The Campaign for Wool was launched at Wimpole Farm in Cambridgeshire, with HM King Charles III when he was HRH The Prince of Wales.

2012

Relocated to Wool House

Head Office relocated from Clayton to Wool House on Canal Road in Bradford.

2018

Expand into China

British Wool established a small marketing office in Shanghai, China, to support our export efforts for wool rich products.

2021

Online Marketplace

Online marketplace launched as a one-stop shop for authentic British wool products.

2022

Wool Traceability & Provenance

British Wool launched a traceable wool scheme to promote the importance of the origin of end products.

6000 BC

First sheep domesticated in Europe – descendants of the Mouflon breed.

4000 BC

Neolithic Settlers

Sheep, similar to Soay, were introduced to the UK by Neolithic settlers.

1900 BC

Bronze Age

Wool is spun and woven into cloth in Britain in the Bronze Age.

55 BC

Romans Invade

Romans invade bringing hornless, white-face sheep, similar to Romney and Ryelands.

700 AD

Export of woolen fabrics to the continent.

865

Danes Invade

Danes invaded bringing horned black-face sheep, similar to Blackface, Swaledale and Herdwicks.

1100-1199

Wool Becomes Britain’s Most Important Export

Wool become the backbone and the driving force of the economy and the largest flocks of sheep belong to abbeys and monasteries, resulting in the wealth of cities such as Norwich, York, and Coventry being built on wool.

1327

The ‘Woolsack’

The ‘Woolsack’ is introduced in the House of Lords, by King Edward III, symbolising the importance of the wool trade to the British economy.

1600-1699

The Rise of Textiles Industry

The rise of the woollen cloth industry in cities like Leeds and Halifax; wool becomes a central commodity during the Industrial Revolution.

1791

Wool Types by Breed

Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster formed the British Wool Society. The Society carried out intensive field studies of many native and continental sheep breeds with the aim of improving the national flock.

1830s

Sheep Farming Expands

Sheep farming expands significantly with the rise of mechanised wool processing during the Industrial Revolution.

1867

Wool Exchange Opened in Bradford

The Wool Exchange Building in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England was built as a wool trading centre in the 19th century. The grandeur of its Gothic Revival architecture is symbolic of the wealth and importance that wool brought to Bradford.

1939

Wool Control established so industry could provide clothing for the army.